Cameron surges in polls

After rejecting a new European Union treaty, British Prime Minister David Cameron has seen his approval boosted, reports a Reuters/Ipsos MORI poll. - BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images

Kai Ryssdal: Time now for a moment with John. John Buckley is our foreign editor, here to talk about the European news of the day. And John we begin -- as most things to do with Europe these days -- with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

John Buckley: Angela Merkel. Most of the German papers today were reporting that Angela Merkel has been making a major speech to lawmakers in Berlin. In that speech, she did say that Britain -- which as you know, didn't sign up for that deal with the rest of the European Union nations last week -- remains a key member of the European Union and a vital part of it. So some consolation there perhaps for David Cameron, the British prime minister.

Ryssdal: Let's go to Mr. Cameron for a second, because he said "no" famously last week and it's standing him in good stead.

Buckley: It is. The British press today is reporting a poll by Reuters/Ipsos MORI which is saying that support for Cameron's party -- the Conservatives -- rose by 7 percentage points to 41 percent for the first time this year. Support for the center-left Labor Party slipped to 39 percent. So very good news and it does show that that euro skepticism -- however it's viewed in the mainland of Europe, in continental Europe -- always goes down well with a British audience.

Ryssdal: All right. So you have eight seconds left in our segment. What does it all mean for the solution of the problem? Ready go.

Buckley: The solution to the problem -- much reported as a done deal last week -- has a ways to go.